There's A Fine Line
by drarrywriter1
Summary: Harry and friends return to Hogwarts for their 8th year- along with Draco Malfoy. When Harry and Draco are forced to share a room, and a Potions desk, they quickly learn that there is a fine line between love and hate. And they might have just crossed it... Contains: Angst, Drama, Sexual Content (in later chapters), MPreg (Also in later chapters)
1. The New Roommate

**Chapter 1- The New Roommate**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, they all belong to JK Rowling. Harry Potter TM belongs to JK Rowling. She is one lucky woman.**

**This is the completely edited version of There's a Fine Line, and I hope you enjoy it! Review, review, review! xxx**

* * *

Harry sighed and blew his unruly black hair in a futile attempt to keep it from his eyes-though it fell back down immediately. His belongings just weren't fitting in his trunk, and he had to leave for the Hogwarts Express in five minutes! Not using magic was killing him.

"Harry," a voice floated up the stairs, which he recognised as Mrs Weasley. "We need to go!"

The raven haired boy slammed his trunk shut, ignoring the clothes still spilling out of it, grabbed his new owl, Cinco, and thundered down the stairs. He found Mrs Weasley, along with Ron and Hermione in the kitchen of The Burrow. Hermione stood from the wonky chair she was perched on and wrapped her arms around Harry.

"Let's go, we don't want to miss the train." She said to him after their embrace, stepping back to hold Ron's hand.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry questioned quietly.

Molly looked down at her feet before saying, "Well Harry, Ginny decided that it was best if she made her own way to the train station. I think she feels that things are still awkward between the two of you." Harry opened his mouth to protest and then realised that Ginny was right. Things had been awkward. Harry had broken up with her in the summer, but he hadn't been particularly specific in his reasoning for their abrupt separation. He felt bad about it, he really did, but he just couldn't bring himself to have a conversation with her, especially now that she was being hostile and aloof around him.

"Oh okay," he responded, before breaking the silence that ensued his response by pretending to check his trunk was done up properly.

* * *

Avoiding the hustle and bustle of young, eager wizards was an arduously impossible task when you were stood on Platform 9 ¾. Harry dragged his luggage cart behind him, while searching for anyone he knew who was returning for 8th year like he was.

He was already painfully aware of the multitude lost from his year in the battle, but preferred to not think about it. It haunted his dreams enough.

Also, he knew that very few people were returning this year because it was optional. It was being offered this year because the War had severely affected the students' school work; especially Harry's, as he had skipped the majority of the year in favour of Horcrux hunting with Ron and Hermione.

Harry felt a tug on his arm and turned to see Ron who said, "Come on mate, Hermione's found us a compartment with Neville and Luna."

"Oh yeah, right, okay, let's go," Harry fumbled with his words as usual, and then followed Ron. His head turned sharply at the last second, as he saw a flash of platinum blonde hair walk past him.

Draco Malfoy.

* * *

Harry fidgeted in his seat, trying to get the blonde out of his head. Malfoy had him thinking about him. Harry hated that.

"Can you just get comfortable already, Harry?" Ginny snapped, quickly turning back to face the window, crimson red.

"Sorry, Ginny." Harry mumbled. He looked around the quiet compartment at his friends, all of whom engrossed in their own activities. Ginny was recovering from the shame of speaking to him, Ron and Hermione were having a heated discussion about how important it was that Ron actually complete his homework this year, and Luna and Neville were snuggling and eating Chocolate Frogs. Harry couldn't help but smile at the cute couple before him. They had gotten together during the War, literally _during _the War, and they had been together ever since. They really were perfect as a pair.

"I'm gonna go to the loo," Harry announced, louder than expected. He was gone before anyone could even look up. The boy paced the train, not looking for somewhere to relieve his bladder, but looking for somewhere to clear his head, and hopefully relieve himself of the thoughts about the blonde. If only the Express had a Room of Requirement!

Head down, face frowning in thought, Harry failed to see the tall boy walking towards him. Suddenly, Harry was pushed in to the wall, his glasses falling to the ground.

"Watch where you're going, Potter," Draco sneered at him, before stomping on the floor and hearing the distinct crunch of glasses.

"Oops." The blonde feigned innocence, and then sauntered off, his friends in tow. Brushing himself off, Harry stood, fixed his glasses with a simple 'Reparo' and headed back to his compartment. He avoided Draco for the rest of the train journey, and instead forced himself to be interested in whatever his friends were talking about now.

* * *

The light clinking noise of the spoon against the goblet had everyone's attention quickly. A certain raven- haired boy turned to face the new head teacher. Minerva McGonagall began speaking.

"Hello and welcome to a new year at Hogwarts...blahblahblah...starting afresh...blahblahblah," Harry tuned out, allowing his eyes to wander around the room. They fell on a silvery eyed, blonde haired Slytherin. A sharp jab in the ribs, courtesy of Hermione brought Harry back to reality, just as part of McGonagall's speech caught his attention.

"And now," she proceeded. "To all the 8th years; you will no longer use your house common rooms but instead have one shared common room for all the houses. Also, you will each now share a room with only one other person. This is to promote inter-house unity and friendship, and considering everything you lot have been through, we feel that it is very much needed. The Sorting Hat will decide for you." Waves of interest rippled through the Great Hall, proven by the audible gasps. Professor McGonagall quietened the students and then continued.

"Every year may now go back to their common rooms, except for the 8th years; you will stay and be assigned your roommates."

When the rest of the student body had dutifully filed out of the Great Hall, McGonagall began calling names. The whole scenario reminded Harry of first year when he was Sorted into Gryffindor. He chuckled as he reminisced about how scrawny he was back then, and how desperately he didn't want to be in Slytherin. He watched as Hermione marched to the front and was Sorted with Pansy Parkinson, followed by Ron who was placed with Blaise Zabini. Then, his name was called.

Feeling the eyes of his peers on him, Harry walked up to Professor McGonagall, who placed the old, wrinkled and greying hat on his head and then stepped back. Unlike last time, when the Sorting Hat had spent a long time deciding on which house to put Harry in, it called out straight away.

"DRACO MALFOY!"

Surprised and shocked, Harry burst out of his seat, knocking the Sorting Hat off his head in the process. He wanted to scream and shout and yell and cry but McGonagall was pushing him towards his seat, a sympathetic look gracing her features.

His eyes found their way to where Malfoy was sat, looking just as surprised and angry as Harry felt. AT least the feeling was mutual.

* * *

When the Sorting was over, Harry dragged his feet to his new room, which could be found behind a painting of a snake and a lion fighting. _How coincidental, _Harry thought, before remembering that this was Hogwarts, and coincidences didn't happen. The painting probably changed for them based on who they were. Harry sighed and pushed the door open. _Let's just get this over with. _He stepped through the portrait without saying a password, it would be decided by Harry and Draco later, and looked around him at his new room.

Inside, there was a couch in front of a fireplace, and two beds pushed against the far side of the wall. On either end of the room, there were two doors, which Harry assumed lead to bathrooms. One thing stood out the most for Harry, Draco wasn't there.

He breathed a sigh of relief and began unpacking his trunk. He had almost finished when Draco did step through the snake and lion painting, lugging his trunk behind him.

Harry sighed. "Malfoy."

"Potter." Draco replied. "Have you learnt how to see where you're going?" Draco said with a laugh, Harry just continued unpacking, seemingly paying no interest to Draco whatsoever.

"I can see perfectly fine thank you."

"Oh really, Four Eyes?"

Harry sighed again. "Whatever, Malfoy. I'm not here to get into trouble this year. I did enough of that last year."

"And every year before that," Draco sniggered and then threw himself tiredly onto his bed.

"I can't believe I have to share a room with you for this entire year!" Harry cried, also falling onto his bed.

"Me too, my father is going to hear about this!"

After a few minutes of silence, Harry turned on his side so he could face Draco.

"Malfoy," he started, "maybe we should make a truce. After all, the sooner we accept the fact that we're going to have to live together for the next year, well, the sooner we can be friends."

"Okay Potter, we might as well try. Though I have to say it's going to be weird not constantly being at each other's throats."

"Well, I'm not saying that we suddenly have to be the best of friends, but always fighting isn't particularly fun for either of us is it?"

Draco replied with a small nod and then turned onto his back so he was staring at the ceiling.

Harry did the same. Being friends with Malfoy, now that would be something new...


	2. The Duel

**Disclaimer: We all know I don't own Harry Potter yada yada yada, rub it in more :P**

**I hope you like this, the editing is going well, and I am so much more pleased with these chapters. Chapter 3 is written, but it won't be posted until I have written Chapter 4, so I can allow myself time to edit and add bits in if I get to Chapter 4 and realise I have forgotten to write a bit.**

**Thank you to my first reviewer and follower and first everything on here- TENSHI YAMI_ ANGEL OF DARKNESS, you are a star!**

**Review please, I love reading them. I love you all thank you so much xx**

* * *

When Draco entered the Potions room that afternoon he was surprised to see a new teacher. Obviously, he knew that Snape was killed in the War, but he hadn't seen this professor at the welcome meal. The middle- aged man was wearing plain black robes that were a tad too snug around his protruding belly. His nose was almost as large as Snape's, though it was not pointy, it was just large.

In many ways, the new professor reminded the blonde of Slughorn, with his rotund form and the very slight appearance of a twinkle in his eyes. With some work, Draco decided, he could probably be alright.

"Good afternoon, class. I am your new teacher, Professor Cragfoot! I don't know any of you right now, but that will surely change soon. Now, for the time being, I am going to partner you up so, Weasley. Where's Weasley?"

Ron stepped forward, clearly anxious. Draco scoffed at his nervousness; trust the Weasle to be scared.

"You come here, with Zabini. Parkinson, you will pair with Granger, is it?" Hermione sighed audibly and dumped her stuff next to Parkinson.

"And Malfoy, you will be with Potter." Cragfoot paused before the realisation hit him.

"Oh my Merlin! Harry Potter!" The professor rushed over to Harry.

"Thank you for killing You-Know-Who!"

"Voldemort." Harry corrected.

Draco simply rolled his eyes and sat down. Potter clearly enjoyed all this attention he got, and obviously he used it to his advantage.

As Cragfoot started teaching about potions, Draco turned to Harry. _Time to anger Potter, _he thought.

"You're _so _egotistical Potter, did you know that? You were so _happy _that old Cragfoot there was basically _worshipping_ the ground you walked-"

"Shut up Malfoy" Harry hissed, his anger beginning to build up.

"Maybe you should just date the professor..." Malfoy whispered in the brunette's ear. Draco could tell that he had hit a nerve, and that Harry was about to crack.

"SHUT UP MALFOY," Harry's voice was no longer a hiss, more of a desperate yell.

"Hey, hey, hey," Cragfoot intervened.

"What's going on at the back? Potter, pay more attention, same for you, Malfay."

"Malfoy," Draco informed him sharply. Draco decided to ignore Potter for the rest of the lesson, despite how easy it was to infuriate him.

* * *

The next morning, Draco dragged his tired body from bed. That Potter Boy was bothering him again. Draco didn't know why he let him play with his head the way he did, but Draco was sick of it. When he reached the Great Hall he immediately saw that Potter wasn't there. This day might actually be off to a good start! As he reached for a piece of magically kept warm toast, Pansy Parkinson slid onto the bench next to him.

"Hey Dray", she exclaimed brightly. "How did you sleep?"

"Not good. The dreams are as bad as ever; I wish I could just forget the War."

Pansy laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and patted sympathetically. She started talking about her summer, and Draco's mind –and eyes – began to drift. At that moment, Potter stumbled into the Great Hall. He had clearly overslept- his robes were slightly sliding off his shoulders, one of his laces was untied and his hair was even more messily tousled than usual. Draco couldn't help but notice all of these features in him. He watched as Harry ambled over to his friends, that Mudblood and the Weasle, laughing as they too noticed his ruggedness of that morning.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, rubbing his stomach.

"You were ignoring me! For Potter!" Pansy cried.

"No I wasn't!" Draco denied.

"So who were you looking at then?"

Draco just ignored his probing friend, and stared at his now cold toast. Pansy smirked to herself silently. A few minutes later, loud squeaks caught the attention of everyone in the Hall. It was mail time. A large majestic Owl flew to Draco, he was his mother's, bearing a letter. Draco slowly opened it, unsure of what was inside. It read:

_Dear Draco,_

_Your father and I have realised that you are getting older, this is your last year at Hogwarts after all, and so far you have no romantic prospects. As a result of this, we have decided to set you up with an arranged marriage. Do not disobey us, this is happening!_

_Much love,_

_Mummy Cissa x_

Draco blew air between his lips. He should have expected this. He knew his parents were getting anxious to see who their son would marry, but he just wasn't ready to date. And certainly not the sort of person his parents would set him up with; rich, aristocratic, egotistical, a girl. Yes that's right; the big Draco Malfoy is gay. He hadn't told his parents as he knew they wouldn't approve, and as he wasn't dating anyone, it seemed almost irrelevant anyway. He blew air between his lips again and unsuccessfully tried to forget his problems.

* * *

Draco had been sat in the Potions classroom for a good ten minutes before Potter came bursting through the door, late as usual.

His unruly hair was even more mussed up than usual, and his robes were barely on, hanging off his shoulders. Draco noticed that his glasses were slightly askew, making it harder to see the vibrant green eyes that Draco knew were behind them. He threw his bag onto his desk and practically fell into his chair.

"Hi Malfoy," Harry muttered. Draco was surprised, he wasn't expecting Harry to actually be nice to him, well it wasn't particularly nice, but it was a whole lot better than usual. Then he remembered the truce, and through gritted teeth replied to Harry.

"Morning, Potter. Wake up late?" Draco tried to sound indifferent, but he was actually interested in hearing his partner's reasoning for being late.

"Um yeah, I didn't really sleep well. Nightmares." Harry replied almost inaudibly, shooting an apprehensive look in Draco's direction.

"I get them sometimes too," Draco whispered, looking down at the ground. "Well, not sometimes, most nights."

Suddenly, Draco remembered where they were, and turned his attention to the board.

"Right Potter, I'll do the majority of the brewing, I've seen your potion skills. You just cut this Boomslang skin into 10 squares, okay?" Draco knew that Harry hated having anyone tell him what to do, so he was pleasantly surprised when Harry gave a curt nod and began his task.

Draco turned to his task and realised too late that Harry was sweeping up the Boomslang skin pieces and throwing them into the big, black cauldron they were using.

"Potter, what the fuck- NO!" Draco leapt forward screaming, but it was past the point of saving.

Exploding in both their faces, the potion covered them. It was destroyed.

Malfoy lunged at Harry.

"What is wrong with you Potter? You can't do anything! Urgh!"

Draco picked up a remaining piece of Boomslang skin and launched it at Harry, hitting him square in the face. The now very angry raven haired boy drew his wand from his back pocket; Draco did the same thing simultaneously.

"Expelliarmus!" The spell missed Draco by a mere inch and rebounded off the cold stone wall of the dungeon.

"Stupefy!" This time the spell came from the blonde's wand, but also missed its target.

"Sectumsempra!"

"Sectumsempra!"

The two spells were said in unison, and this time, neither of them missed.

Draco and Harry both fell to the floor, screaming in pain. Professor Cragfoot came running over, yelling for an explanation.

And then everything went dark.

* * *

His vision was blurred when he woke. It took about a minute for his eyes to adjust, and then he sat up and drank in his surroundings. From an initial sweep of the room, Draco thought he was in St Mungo's, but on his second scan, he realised he was in the school Infirmary. _Oh Merlin_, he thought, _what have I done now?_

Pain radiated throughout his body, but it didn't take long to find the source. His stomach. Gingerly, he lifted his hospital gown at the hem, rolling it up to his neck. His breath hitched violently at the sight of the gash running along his pale skin, parallel to the silvery scar from sixth year, when Potter decided to hit him with a 'Sectumsempra' curse.

Potter.

Sectumsempra.

It all came rushing back to Draco, and he shut his eyes in pain as he remembered the events. His eyes fluttered open and wandered back to his new injury. It was an aggressive red colour, the colour of his blood. He winced and then unrolled his hospital gown until it reached to top of his calves.

A rustling next to him broke Draco from his thoughts and he slowly turned to see his arch nemesis occupying the bed next to him. Potter looked really bad. His skin was paler than usual, and he was thin. Dangerously so. Draco grabbed a mirror that was on his bedside table and studied his reflection. He was just as pale as Potter, and when he had rolled up his gown he did notice that his hip bones were more prominent than usual, and his ribs stuck out a bit more.

Darn curse.

"Hi Potter," Draco murmured. The blonde watched as the realisation of what happened hit Harry and his face went from fairly pleasant to disgusted and then to pain.

"Oh Merlin. Merlin, Merlin, Merlin. The Sectumsempra curse!" Harry cried, and then winced in pain, hands flying to his stomach.

"This is your entire fault Malfoy!" Harry spat, peering down his own gown to look at the bloody wound.

"I believe you hit me too, Potter," Draco's tone of voice turned icy, and his features curved into a sneer. God, he hated Potter.

Before they could argue anymore, the door to the Infirmary swung open and Professor Cragfoot strode in.

_Oh no, _Draco thought. _This is not going to be good. _

"Boys!" Cragfoot boomed. "We need to talk! After your little _outburst _in lesson a couple of weeks ago, you must be punished. Detention every two days for a month!"

The boys went to protest and then realised it was futile so gave up. They sighed in unison, sharing a scathing glance that lasted less than a split second.

"Wait a second," Harry called out, stopping Cragfoot from leaving. "You said we had the outburst a couple of weeks ago. So we've been out for-"

"Two weeks. You've missed a lot of lessons boys!" Cragfoot interrupted, his loud voice cutting over Harry's.

Draco gaped. He couldn't have been unconscious for two whole weeks! Oh he hated that stupid curse. He vowed to never use it again.

* * *

As soon as Draco was let out of the Infirmary, he had to change and go to detention. So this was his life now. Detention, detention and more detention. When he arrived, Potter wasn't there, and Draco let out a small sigh of relief. He wasn't in the mood for dealing with Potter and his arrogant ways today. But speak of the devil, or think of the devil, Harry came wandering through the door, a bored expression on his face.

"Potter." Draco grumbled.

"Malfoy." Harry continued their tradition, as usual.

"Hi boys," Cragfoot bellowed; he seemed unable to talk at a normal volume. "Today, I want to help you solve your issues with each other."

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"You will both write a list of ten reasons why you dislike the other-"

"I have more than 10 reasons, Sir." Draco interrupted.

"Shush Draco! Take your parchment, ink and quill, and get to it! I'll return in thirty minutes." And with that, he was gone. Draco growled under his breath, but started the list.


	3. The Lists

******A/N: Hi everyone! A big thank you to all of the reviewers, and a massively huge thank you to Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness for her brilliant suggestion for this chapter. However, after a lot of thinking, I have decided to keep my initial idea for this chapter and write a whole new fic that has Tenshi Yami's idea in. It will just be a cute oneshot, and it will be up soon. I've already started it, so you can probably expect it within the next two months, it just depends on how busy I am really.**

**SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR READING THIS SILLY STORY PRODUCED FROM MY MIND. I love you all. :D xx**

* * *

**Ten Reasons Why I Dislike Draco Malfoy:**

**1. He is egotistical and snobby**

**2. He shows off**

**3. He doesn't like my friends**

**4. He is arrogant**

**5. He hates all Gryffindors**

**6. He cares too much about his appearance**

**7. His perfectly blonde hair is too distracting**

**8. His silver eyes are too nice**

**9. The fact I can't stop thinking about him**

**10. The fact that he'll never like me**

Harry couldn't believe what he had written, he felt a blush rising and spreading over his face. He quickly folded the parchment and hid it in his robe.

When he turned to Malfoy, he saw that he did the same thing. After a few awkward moments of silence, Professor Cragfoot waltzed into the room.

"Okay boys, you're free to go." They both bolted to the door.

"WAIT!" Cragfoot yelled. "I almost forgot, give me your lists."

Both boys immediately protested.

"But Sir! They were private lists!" Harry cried.

"Got something to hide, Potter?" Malfoy snickered at him.

"No, I just..." Harry trailed off, feeling the blush rising once again.

"For once though Sir, I do agree with Potter here. Those lists are private."

"Hand them over." Cragfoot demanded. They complied.

Harry left the room as soon as possible, wanting to forget the whole detention. But one thing kept niggling away at him. Why did Draco not want to hand over his list either? What was he hiding? There was just one thing Harry knew, he _had_ to read Malfoy's list...

* * *

Harry sighed and flopped onto his bed. He missed his friends- ever since they had separate dorms; he hadn't seen Ron as much, not to mention the fact that because Ron and Hermione were together now, they had less time for Harry. He had no idea where Draco was, so an argument with him wasn't an option. Harry was lonely, bored and irritable.

Then an idea struck, Draco's list!

Harry jumped up and reached for his trunk. He grabbed the Marauder's Map and said "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good", before throwing the Invisibility Cloak over his body and running to the Potions Classroom.

* * *

When he reached the classroom, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was empty. He crossed the bare tables and went to Cragfoot's desk. As expected, the drawers were locked.

"Alohomora," Harry whispered, the drawer slid open immediately. Harry's lips curved into a smile; he thought that Cragfoot would have been smart enough to counter-charm his drawers so that a simple 'Alohomora' had no effect. Clearly, he wasn't as talented a spell-caster as he was a potion-brewer! Harry chuckled to himself, and then started rifling through his professor's desk. He caught a glimpse of some parchment, and then he realised that it was his own list. Harry pocketed his and found Malfoy's. He unfolded the parchment, and his eyes widened as he read:

**Ten Reasons Why I Dislike Harry Potter:**

**1. He is liked too much**

**2. He doesn't deserve his fame**

**3. He doesn't like my friends**

**4. He never has to work hard for anything**

**5. He hates all Slytherins**

**6. He doesn't care about his appearance**

**7. His black hair is always perfectly messy**

**8. His green eyes are annoyingly nice**

**9. He won't get out of my head**

**10. He will never like me**

He couldn't believe what Malfoy had written! What did this mean? Was Malfoy gay? His thoughts were interrupted by the dull thud of footsteps fast approaching the door. He barely had time to slam the desk drawer shut and throw his Invisibility cloak over himself before Cragfoot marched in.

Harry drew in a breath and watched with impossibly wide eyes as his professor strode up to the desk, centimetres from Harry, picked up a quill and then sauntered back out.

Harry sighed in relief. He carefully placed Malfoy's and his list back in Cragfoot's drawer- he couldn't risk Cragfoot noticing they were gone, and then ran all the way back to his dorm room, where he found Draco asleep. He must have been gone longer than he thought.

A wave of fatigue hit Harry and he slid into his bed, still fully clothed, and fell into a blissful sleep immediately. Until his dreams remembered Draco's list. Cue a restless night.

* * *

The Great Hall was filled with laughter and chatter, as young wizards and witches talked about their day. Harry and Hermione filed past them, to a bench with Ron, Ginny, Neville and Lavender already sat, eating their evening meal. Ron's face lit up when he saw Harry.

"Harry! I haven't seen you in ages, mate! How was the Infirmary?"

Harry made a face as a reply. "Awful. The scar isn't that bad though." Sure enough, it was now just a thin 3cm long line, on the left side of his torso.

"Hi Ginny," Harry said softly, gesturing to Ginny, who just scowled at him. Hermione and Ron shared a look when they noticed Ginny's hostility towards Harry.

"Uh, Harry, you never did tell us, why did you and Ginny break up?" Hermione questioned gently, though her probing tone was evident.

"Oh uh, it's a long story." Harry looked down at his dinner, he could feel his face burning with shame.

"No it's not!" Ginny said, scathingly. "The Golden Boy felt that he was above giving me a proper explanation, just that he couldn't be with me anymore."

Harry sighed. "That's not true, Ginny," he whispered.

"Then why did you dump me?"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"Just tell me why!"

"It's not important!"

"It is! You terminated our relationship without as much as a decent explanation so why did you end it?"

"Well I don't know why."

"So you broke up with me and you don't even know why?"

"Um yes."

"Liar. I can see right through you Harry. WHY DID YOU DUMP ME?"

"BECAUSE I'M GAY!"

Harry's voice roared above the others, and the Great Hall fell instantly silent. Abruptly, he stood, his plate clattering to the ground and he fled.

He ran to his dorm room, his face bright red, hot, angry tears spilling from his eyelids and fists clenched until the knuckles turned white. He screamed into his pillow and lay there sobbing, until he could cry no more and he fell into a nightmare filled slumber.


	4. The Kiss

**I am so sorry about the long wait! My summer vacation ended Monday, and I've came back to mounds and piles and mountains and everything of work since then, it's been ridiculous! Because of that, I think I will only be able to update once or twice a week, at the weekend. I know this makes it harder to keep track of the story and remember the plot etc, but there isn't really anything I can do about it. Sorry :( **

**HUGE thank you to all the positive reviews I've been getting, it really does make this whole thing worthwhile xx**

**Disclaimer applies as usual blah blah blah i don't own Harry Potter, don't rub it in!**

**xxx love you all xxx**

* * *

Harry's mind was fuzzy when he woke. Or when he was woken. He quickly became aware of the strong hands gripping his shoulders, and the tall figure looming above him. He jumped in surprise, almost falling out of his bed, but the mystery figure lurched forward and caught him in time.

Harry could tell it was still evening; the setting sun was causing a pink glow to ripple through his room, illuminating his visitor's face perfectly. A chiselled jaw line was inches from his own face, and piercing grey eyes bored into his skull. Platinum blonde hair lightly tickled along Harry's cheeks.

"Fuck, Malfoy! What are you doing?"

Draco stood up and walked away from Harry's bed to perch on his own on the opposite end of the room.

"I came to see if you were okay. That was quite a show you put on over dinner, you know."

Harry sighed heavily and sat up, still fully clothed in his robes. He had been very tired when he had stormed up here earlier.

"Oh shut up. If you came to taunt me, just go. I don't want to hear it."

Draco's eyes snapped up to meet Harry's, sharp with anger, hurt and humour.

"Quite the opposite actually. I wondered if you wanted to talk."

"Why would you want to talk?" Harry's voice came out as barely a whisper, but he didn't mind.

Abruptly, Draco stood and marched to the door.

"You know what Potter, It doesn't matter. Just forget I ever came."

Harry remained silent, and Draco snarled and stormed away, slamming the door on his way out.

* * *

Draco sauntered into detention that night and perched on a desk for about five minutes until Cragfoot strode in.

"Good evening boys! Tonight you will be sorting the Potions cupboard, alphabetically, and I will be back in an hour. Goodbye."

And he was gone.

Draco dragged his body from the desk to the cupboard and started pulling out vials of potions and potion ingredients. He stopped and turned to Harry.

"Come on then Potter, I'm not doing this myself." He noticed that Harry hadn't even heard him; he was looking the other way, his heard resting on his hands. Draco walked forward and tapped Harry on the shoulder. The raven haired boy looked up, and the blonde noticed the tears swimming in his eyes. His heart sank a little.

"Oh, poor baby Potter, crying because he has detention!" Draco sneered.

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry burst out, filled with anger and hatred for his enemy.

"What, are you upset just because everyone found out you're a poof? Don't you realise that everyone already knew?"

'What am I doing?' Draco thought to himself, Harry is clearly upset, why am I upsetting him more? But still Draco pressed on.

"Harry. Potter. The. Poof." He spat.

"SHUT UP MALFOY!" Harry shouted, standing up so his face was mere inches from Draco's.

Draco's pale hands flew up to cup Harry's face as he pushed forward, capturing Harry's lips in a bruising, shearing, near painful kiss. He swiped his tongue over the raven haired boy's closed lips, begging for entrance. Harry complied with a guttural moan and parted lips, walking backwards until he was pressed up against a nearby wall or door. Draco's mind was too fuzzy to even know where he was or who he was. Draco's warm tongue slid into Harry's mouth and explored every crevice, every fold within. He elicited a moan from Harry, who fought back with his own tongue, until they were both performing a dizzying dance in each other's mouths.

Then suddenly, Draco's entire body was cold, his tongue was back in his own mouth, and his arms were no longer around Harry. The raven boy was gone.

* * *

Draco stormed back to his room, his lips burning, his eyes ablaze with passion and anger. So many questions and thoughts were racing through his mind, a marathon he couldn't keep up with. A marathon he didn't want to participate in. He screamed, puncturing the still quietness of a Hogwarts evening.

* * *

Harry paced his room, trying to answer all of his unanswerable questions. Why did he Disapparate during the kiss? How did he even Disapparate? As far as he was aware, you couldn't do that in Hogwarts. He needed to talk to the only person who might have answers- Hermione.

She sat on Harry's bed with her legs folded underneath her, arms crossed, and confusion etched in her features.

"I don't understand, Harry," she uttered finally. "In 'Hogwarts: A History', it clearly states that Apparition is not possible within the school walls! Unless of course..."

She paused, drawing in her breath, her eyes widening, as if the whole world made sense now. "Oh, how could I be so stupid? It's obvious!"

"What is 'Mione?" Harry exclaimed, completely unsure of what was going on in his friend's head.

"Oh, Harry don't you see? The Battle tore down the protections that Hogwarts has around it, so you can now Apparate into the school and around it!" She said, with both concern and excitement evident in her tone. "But Harry, why did you Disapparate anyway? Where did you Disapparate from?" Hermione's probing qualities were coming back, Harry noticed, and the excitement of her discovery was gone.

"Um, I was just in detention, and I just Disapparated by accident," Harry replied, with a shrug of his shoulders, the picture of nonchalance. Hermione's eyes narrowed, and her arms crossed again.

"Are you sure, Harry?" She questioned further. Hermione wasn't one to let things go when she got a hold of them.

"Yes absolutely." Harry replied, his face flushing, embarrassed.

"Okay," Hermione said in an irritating singsong voice. "You'll tell me when you're ready, I suppose." She stood and left the room.

Harry lay on his bed and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. What the _fuck _happened between him and Malfoy? He wasn't sure, but he did know that it couldn't be left like that. He jumped up and grabbed his quill, ink and parchment. He scribbled out a note and practically threw it at Cinco, his new owl.

"Take this to Malfoy!" He urged loudly.

* * *

Draco was sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, drumming his fingers hyperactively against the hard oak wood, when he was interrupted by an incessant tapping to his left. He looked up sharply and saw an unfamiliar owl perched on the bench next to him. Upon closer inspection, Draco felt a tug of a memory for the owl. The train station. On the first day. He remembered seeing Potter holding it. He ripped the parchment from the owl's claws, and hurriedly shooed him. He was intrigued by Potter, and his note. He quickly scanned the messy handwriting.

**Draco,**

**Meet me at the Astronomy Tower at 9. Please.**

**We need to talk.**

**H**

* * *

Harry's hair whipped around his neck in the biting wind, but he didn't seem to notice. What he did notice however, was the fact that he had been stood here since 8:55 and it was now 9:25. With no sign of Malfoy. He sighed, resigning to the fact that he wasn't coming. Harry threw his Invisibility Cloak over his shoulders and walked back to his room.

In the shadows of the Astronomy Tower, a tall blonde hid. When the raven haired boy left, he stepped out of his hiding place and he too sighed. He couldn't get the image of Harry's hurt face out of his head.

* * *

Draco tossed and turned in his bed, his feet twisting further and further into the sheets, until it was probably physically impossible for him to get out of his bed. But he did want to be out of his bed. He wanted to be out of his bed and back at the Astronomy Tower. With Harry.

A somewhat dishevelled Draco Malfoy hurried into Potions class on that Wednesday morning, considerably late. Draco was irritated with his own tardiness- he had never been late to Potions. However, today was different. He ran into the Potions lab with not a second to spare, his blonde hair sticking out in every direction, his robes tatty and old. Draco reminded himself of Potter when he overslept and almost missed breakfast not too long ago. Speak of the devil; there Potter was, absent-mindedly stroking his quill, clearly not listening to what Professor Cragfoot was saying. He couldn't help but notice that Harry looked about as unkempt as him, with his tousled hair and glasses that seemed to be barely on his face. The blonde desperately didn't want to go over and sit next to him, but he had no choice. He was late enough, and if he stood at the door for much longer, Cragfoot would definitely notice him. His feet unwillingly carried him over, and he lightly perched on his chair, tilting his body so he was turned away from Harry.

"Uh, Malfoy?"Harry's uneasy voice broke the long silence.

"Yes, Potter?"Draco's lip curled in distaste, he spat the last word.

"Um, well I was thinking that we should, um..."

"Spit it out Potter, I haven't got all day." Malfoy couldn't help but sneer at his arch enemy.

"We should talk about what happened last night."

All expression fled from Draco's face, but he quickly recovered and simply said, "No. Let's just ignore each other, okay Potter? We'll be partners in Potions, and we'll serve our detention, but we will not speak, look or touch each other in between, or during any of those activities, alright?"

Harry just spun on his heel and stormed out, knocking into Draco as he went. The blonde watched the door Harry had promptly left through, until he became aware of the hot, angry tears spilling from his eyelids, blurring his vision and streaking down his face in torrents.

_Damn, _he thought to himself, _I think I like Potter._

* * *

For the next few days, the two boys did not speak to each other at all. Detentions passed slowly, with neither boy saying a word, not even an angry one, as usual.

Draco wanted to apologise to Harry for his outburst in Potions, but didn't know how.

Harry wanted to apologise to Draco for Disapparating during their kiss, but didn't know how.

A week later, Harry and Draco were in detention as usual. Cragfoot strode in and cleared his throat, as if about to make a big announcement.

"Hello boys, today you will be reading your lists to each other."

Draco's stomach and heart and throat all clenched simultaneously until he thought he was going to puke. He couldn't read his list to Harry, it was private! And he already knew that Harry had read his list, but he hadn't read Harry's. It probably said how much he hated Draco, not how much he loved him, like Draco's did.

"Here are your lists, boys. Harry you go first. I will be in the staff lounge if you need me. Oh, and I will know if you don't read them!" He thrust the lists into the correct boys hand and then swept out of the room, his cloak billowing in a Snape-like manner.

"Okay, well I guess I have no choice but to read mine then." Harry said, his hands trembling. He groaned inwardly, and began.

"Ten Reasons Why I Dislike Draco Malfoy..."

When he finished, he looked up from his parchment, aware of the fact that his head was practically buried in it, and he came face to face with a grinning Malfoy.

"Okay, well it's your turn Malfoy."

"I think you already know what mine says."

Harry's gasps of denial were cut short by Draco's lips on his. It was barely a brush against his lips, but Harry pulled him back in, and pressed harder. Draco's body was firm against Harry's, and he pushed against it. The blonde's tongue teased the black haired boy's lips, until he parted them and allowed him in. Harry twirled his fingers in Draco's luscious silver locks, and Malfoy did the same with Harry's black curled mop, while one hand reached down to cup Harry's arse. They broke apart, panting, but smiling.

"How did you know?" Harry questioned, breathless, his lips red and wet, his eyes cloudy with lust.

"I worked it out." Draco shrugged. Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not breaking his stare until Draco caved.

"Okay fine, I didn't work it out. I was following you that night, when you read my list. I used a glamour charm to make myself look like Cragfoot."

"Why, Malfoy, you sneaky devil!" Harry chuckled.

"I could say the same thing to you, Potter!"

Harry replied by pulling Draco in by his robes and kissing him again.


	5. The Date

**SOrry for a late update :( I have no excuse, except extreme busy-ness! I hope I can make up for it with an extra long chapter? How about the news that the other fanfic I'm working on should be up soon? No? Well how about this cookie? Love you all, please review xxxx**

* * *

"Mister Malfoy is here, Mrs Malfoy."

"Thank you Blinky, send him in please." Narcissa Malfoy offered a slight smile to the young elf, wrapped in a tea towel. Blinky disappeared with a crack, and a couple of seconds later a platinum blonde- haired teen walked in.

"Draco, darling!" Narcissa exclaimed, leaning in to Draco and planting a light kiss on his cheek.

"Hello Mother", Draco replied, somewhat less pleased. He straightened his back at her touch, but then relaxed when she said, "Your father isn't home, yet."

"Oh okay, well I assume we will be dining together tonight, yes?" Draco questioned.

"Yes, we will. Why don't you go and freshen up a bit, and then come down at 7. Your father should be home by then." Narcissa started lightly pushing her son toward the staircase, up to his room.

"Okay, Mother, I get the hint! I'll leave you to your work, and I won't bother you!" Draco laughed as he ascended the stairs, behind a house elf carrying his luggage.

Narcissa feigned innocence, before joining her son in laughter. She loved Draco, she really did, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him because of the exorbitant amounts of pressure that Lucius placed on him. _I just hope Draco likes our choice of partner for his 'marriage'. _She thought, before retreating to her office to make a few calls regarding work.

Narcissa didn't have a job, but she was looking into becoming some sort of Healer; being cooped up in the Manor all day was taking its toll on her. She hoped to get out and see the world, without being controlled.

* * *

That night, during dinner, Lucius broached the topic of the arranged marriage that Draco was to have.

"So Draco", he began, "Your mother and I have spent many hours thinking about whom you shall marry and we have decided."

"Oh, that's um, great Father. Thank you." Draco flushed a little, gulped nervously and then downed the rest of his red wine. _I can't marry someone! I'm gay! And I think I like Potter! Oh dear, this isn't going well, I should not have come home..._

Lucius coughed, interrupting Draco's thoughts, before continuing. "Anyway, would you like to meet her?" Draco noticed the use of the word 'her', and his stomach dropped a little lower than before. If that was possible.

He gave a slight nod, and then turned to the doors, where his future wife would walk in.

She walked in, and Draco's jaw went slack, his shoulders slumped, and then he jumped out of his chair.

"PANSY PARKINSON!" He screeched, in a very uncharacteristically Malfoy way.

"Good evening, Lucius, Narcissa..._Draco_." She slightly narrowed her eyes at his name, and then she slowly made her way to the table and sat down. Draco muttered a reply and then faced his parents.

"We thought you would like her, son." Lucius stated matter of factly, while Narcissa gave a comforting nod from next to her husband.

The blonde teen stood from his place at the table, and marched out the room, his back stiff and his head high. The last thing he heard before he left the room was Pansy's high pitched voice, promising to follow him and 'back it all better'.

The brunette finally tracked her future husband down, in his room. He was slumped against his wall, eyes shut, head in his hands. Pansy noticed that his face was tear- stained.

"Hey", she said softly. "What's wrong?"  
"I don't know." Draco replied sarcastically, "Maybe it's the fact that I have to fucking marry you!" His voice reached a hysterical pitch. Pansy laughed humourlessly.

"Well, I'm not too thrilled about it either, you know." She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, comforting his shaking body.

"You're much more of a brother to me. The thought of us...y'know...just urgh!" She shuddered. Draco laughed, lifting his head from his hands.

"I'm gay." He whispered the words quietly, staring into Pansy's brown orbs, searching for comfort.

"I know!" She laughed, shaking her head at Draco before pulling him into a hug.

Draco spluttered. "H-how did you know?" His eyes were unbelievably wide.

"It's obvious! You were never really in a proper relationship for the 17 years I've known you or whatever, and you care _way _too much about what clothes you wear!" Pansy chuckled, but with her next line, her voice softened and became a bit more serious.

"I've known for ages. Probably longer than you've known yourself!" She continued laughing, but released Draco from her death grip of a hug.

"So tell me, is there a guy?" Pansy asked, a wicked grin slapped on her face.

Draco's blushing face and the long hesitation told Pansy all she wanted to know.

"Who is he? Does he go to Hogwarts? Is he good looking? Do you really like him? Are you officially together?"

Draco sighed and answered all of Pansy's questions.

"Urm, Harry Potter, yes, yes, yes, no."

Pansy gasped, now it was her eyes that widened. "Potter? And wait, why aren't you officially together?"

"Well, we've kissed a few times, but that's it. I don't know if he wants anything more." Draco inwardly groaned, hoping this wasn't the case. He had a bad case of Potter Fever, and it needed to be cured. He licked his lips at his own thoughts, and then he returned to Pansy and her never ending list of questions.

"So then ask him out! Take him on a proper date, show him who you really are!" Pansy laughed as if it was the most obvious thing ever, before skipping out the room. "Bye!" She shouted, already in the distance.

The blonde's thoughts starting running away with him. _I could take Potter, I mean Harry, on a proper date. That is a good idea. But what would we do?_

Draco sighed, heaved himself up from his spot on the floor, and went back to the hell that was dinner with his parents and his supposed future wife, Pansy freaking Parkinson.

* * *

Two days later, during Potions, Harry noticed a pale hand holding a piece of parchment, and sliding it in his direction. On the front it said 'To Harry'. Slowly, he opened it up and read its contents.

_Harry,_

_Please come on a proper date with me. Meet me at the Main Door tonight at 9. Please._

_Draco x_

Harry lifted his gaze to the blonde next to him, who was watching him intensely, and gave a small nod. He couldn't help but feel elated, a date with Draco. This was going to be exciting...

* * *

Harry stood under his Invisibility Cloak outside the Hogwarts front gates and wondered where Draco was. His breath escaped from his chapped lips in white clouds, floating through the air before dissipating before his eyes.

Footsteps caught Harry's attention and he spun around swiftly, only to be faced with Draco, a mere metre from his own body. Harry was confused by the blank, unseeing expression gracing Draco's face. Realisation sunk in, and he remembered his Invisibility Cloak. He whipped it off, registering the shocked look on Draco's face, before the blonde took a few steps back- for comfort.

"Of course", he scoffed. "Only Harry Potter would have an Invisibility Cloak!"

"Hey!" Harry laughed, faking a pout, hoping he looked cute.

"Don't do that, you look too cute!" Draco chastised, laughing as well. He boldly leaned into Harry and took a hold of his hand. Harry intertwined their fingers and flashed a smile in the blonde's direction.

"So, where are we going?" Harry asked, suddenly curious as to what they were doing, and very excited at the prospect of an evening with Draco.

"That, my friend, is a surprise! Now, come here, you need to put this blindfold on." Harry reeled back in surprise.

"You'd better not try anything, Malfoy!" His eyes flashed, but he followed it up with a sheepish grin and a step towards his date.

"Go ahead", he sighed dramatically, pushing his head towards Draco. The boy wrapped a blindfold around the Harry's head and then pulled on his arm, leading him to the surprise.

Draco took hold of the blindfold and peeled it off of his date's head.

"Surprise", he whispered in Harry's ear. The raven haired boy opened his eyes and his breath hitched a little as his eyes widened.

"Draco..." He breathed. "This is all too much, it's beautiful!" His eyes lit up as he gazed around him at his surroundings.

They were stood on the school's Quidditch pitch, though it was barely recognisable now. It was filled with flickering candles, contrasting with the ebony blanket that was the all-too-smothering night. In the centre of the pitch, on the thick and soft green grass, lay a red and white checked picnic blanket, laden with too many variations of food to count. Strawberries, chocolate, sandwiches, cake, pie, everything was all set out on the blanket.

Draco pulled on Harry's arm after about a minute of him daydreaming, his mouth open in surprise at the picnic. Harry's eyes shot back to meet his and the corners of his mouth pulled up into a large grin. He ran toward the blanket, dragging Draco behind him. They fell onto the blanket, Draco on top of Harry. He placed a soft and chaste kiss upon Harry's lips before rolling off him, panting. Harry moaned at Draco's departure, but sat up and picked up a strawberry.

"Mmm, these are so good", Harry shut his eyes, truly appreciating the food. He licked his lips and then grabbed another from the box. Gingerly, he lifted his hand to Draco's mouth and raised an eyebrow questioningly. The blonde opened his mouth eagerly, and Harry slowly placed the strawberry in his mouth. A trickle of strawberry juice escaped from Draco's mouth, and Harry wiped it away with his thumb, staring into silver eyes the entire time. He leaned down and placed a slow, sweet kiss on Draco's lips.

"Harry, did you used to hate me?" Draco asked softly, pain hiding behind his eyes.

"No." Harry replied, his voice barely a whisper. "I don't think I ever hated you, I was just blinded by first impressions and what I had heard from other people." He leant over and squeezed Draco's hands reassuringly.

"Did you ever hate me?" Harry was surprised by how small his voice had become, worried about what Draco's response would be.

Draco swallowed and then began. "No. To tell the truth, I was jealous of you. You had a perfect life, The Boy Who Lived, everyone wanted to be you or be with you. I knew you had it easy. You were loved by everyone."

Harry laughed hoarsely. "Loved by everyone? For 11 years I lived in a cupboard under the stairs in my Aunt and Uncle's house, while they starved and tortured me. My parents were killed by a psychopath who tried to kill me and my friends multiple times. I hated the fame, all I've ever wanted is a quiet life, and it was taken away from me before I could even walk! And in the future, I'll never be able to have the nice, idyllic family life I've always dreamed of, living in a cottage in the country, because I'm so damned famous! I HATE IT! I never had it easy." His voice rose slightly at the end.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea they treated you that way." Draco shook his profusely. "I was a jerk, and a prat, and an idiot. I just wanted a friend and then when you turned me down I became jealous and started to idolise you unhealthily."

"It's okay, I was a prat to you too, and I became a bit obsessed with you as well." Harry pressed his lips against Draco's before continuing. "But it's all over now, so we can just move on."

"Easy for you to say, you don't have this engraved in your arm." Draco rolled up his sleeve and pointed to the Dark Mark. Harry replied with a sharp intake of breath and widened eyes. After about a minute he gradually extended his fingers and caressed the tattoo.

"Does it hurt?" Harry asked softly, focusing intensely on the Mark. When Draco answered, he transferred his gaze to his date's face.

"It used to, I would lie in bed and there would be constant excruciating pain running through my arm. But since you...finished Him, there hasn't been any pain. Now it's just a tattoo for people to judge me on."

"Why would you get it?" Harry watched as Draco sighed, buying himself time for a reply, he ran a hand through his perfectly mussed up hair and then turned to Harry.

"My father. All my life, I've just wanted to please him, it's the way I was raised, you know, Malfoy pride and all. So when he told me that I was to be branded with the Dark Mark, I had little choice but to obey him. He can be very forceful when he wants to be." Draco rolled up his other sleeve and showed Harry an array of purple, green and yellow bruises.

"I'm so sorry, Mal-Draco. I wish I had known..." Harry's voice trailed off and he looked away, fighting off the salty tears that were collecting in his emerald eyes.

Draco's elegant fingers wrapped around Harry's face and he pulled him up to face him.

"Listen to me", he urged. "You couldn't do anything, you with your silly hero complex, you're such a Gryffindork!" Harry pulled away until he saw the cheeky grin on Draco's face. He laughed and couldn't help but kiss him. Draco deepened the kiss, pulling Harry over him. Harry's lips parted, and Draco dove in, exploring the raven haired boy's wet cavern.

Suddenly, the heavens opened and rain starting pouring over the two of them. They broke apart, panting. Harry smiled widely and kissed Draco again. They continued, regardless of the fact that they were both now sopping wet.

Kissing in the rain, Harry decided, was his favourite thing to do.

* * *

Harry sauntered back through Hogwarts, unable to keep the smile off his face. The date was fantastic, and he hoped it would happen again.

He reached his room, and saw a certain red- headed girl waiting for him. His expression hardened as he walked over.

"Ginny", he stated. "Why are you here?"

"I needed to apologise. I was rude to you, and I forced you to admit something you weren't ready to. I'm sorry. I fully accept you being gay, and I am no longer going to be bitter with you. That's all, so I guess I'll go." She started to walk away.

"Wait!" Harry called out.

"I went on a date with Draco Malfoy."

Ginny spun round, squealing. "No way! I'm so happy for you! You guys would be perfect together!"

"You're not annoyed that it's Malfoy?"

"A little bit, but I said I would support you, and I follow up my promises. I'm really happy for you. Honestly. Besides, I kind of like Malfoy's friend, Blaise Zabini," She enveloped Harry in a tight hug and then skipped away humming to herself.

Harry simply laughed and shook his head. He hoped everyone would react this way when they found out about him and Malfoy. If there was a 'him and Malfoy'...


End file.
